Electrolytic rectifier.



C. C. RUPRECHT.

ELECTROLYTIC RECTIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, ISIS. 1,223,114. Patented Apr. 17,1917.

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CHARLES C. RUPBECHT, OF'MIDWAY, FLORIDA.

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l Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

Application mea apra 22, 191s. serial No. 92,963.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. RUPRECHT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Midway, in the county of Gadsden and State of Florida, have invented a new and Improved Electrolytic Rectifier, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to electrolytic rectifiers, and has for its general objects to improve the construction so as to render the rectifier more reliable and free from the objections in the ordinarytype of rectifier.

"The ordinary electrolytic rectifier has certain well-known objections and is difficult to keep in the lmost efficient state by persons of ordinary skill.

In the operation of the rectifier the solution is decomposed by the passage of electric current, hydrogen and oxygen being liberated, and the salt or salts or chemical being decomposed and changed. By continued use the solution loses more and more of the original salts which may assume a non-soluble form, and the. resulting combination deposits at the bottom of the retainer. The re- 'sults of this action are the ever-increasing electrical resistance of the solution and the failing action of the remaining solution in the forming of the insulating film necessary to the action of the rectifier. The efficiency of the rectification is also affected by the increased temperatures of the solution due to its increased resistance, and a point is soon reached where the rectification fails and the electrodes of the rectifier are seriously corroded by the weakened solution. To guard against this trouble manufacturers have used very large retainers for the solution, and have given urgent and detailed instructions as to when and how to renew the solutions. It is difficult, however, to impress the user with the necessity of carefully attending to these details, and in fact it is hard for the layman to determine just the right time for stopping the use of the device until it has been recharged.

To overcome these objections I contemplate the use of means whereby the salts or chemicals in excess of the saturation point will be dis osed in the circulatory current in the electro yte, whereby the solution will be kept saturated at all times and maintain its maximum conductivity, both of heat and electricity; the rectification is also maintained practically at a constant efficiency, and a constant combination of the salts with the solvent tends to cool the solution, which helps to maintain the rectifier in its best working condition. The placing of the salts in the circulatory path of the solution and away from the active electrodes causes recrystallization of the salt on the mother crystals in the receptacle or retainer and not at the electrode or any other place where they would detrimentally affect the working. Such over saturation might occur in case the working solution of the rectifier was increased in temperature by excessive loads, and on cooling or during eriods when not in operation, some crystal ization may occur.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates certain embodiments of the invention aad wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section of a rectifier;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a modified form of rectifier; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional View of a further modification. v

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the jar or body of the rectifier, which, as shown,

in Figs. l, 2 and 4, may be formed with a small secondary chamber 2 connected at its upper and lower ends by ports 3 and 4 with the chamber 5 of the body 1, the two chambers being so communicating that the electrolyte 6 can freely circulate upwardly in the chamber 2. out of the top thereof, downwardly in the chamber 5, and therefrom into the bottom ofthe chamber 2. In this manner the electrolyte is kept in circulation along the electrodes 7 and 8. Arranged slantingly in the body 1 is a perforated plate 9 extending from the top of the body at one side to the bottom at the opposite side, this plate coperating with the wall of the body at a point opposite from the chamber 2 to form a retainer or holder for the salts or chemicals 10. Between the plate 9 and the wall of the body 1 at a point directly under the port 3 is a perforated baffie 11 which serves to cause a circulation of the electrolyte downwardly through the chemicals 10. It will be noted that the chemicals are positioned at the remotest point from the electrodes which, together with the fact that the solution circulates through the chemicals, maintains the solution in its proper saturated condition, and consequently the life of the rectifier is greatly increased, and recharging is necessary only at long intervals.

Another means for holding the chemicals is shown in Fig. 3, wherein 13 isa cylindrical or other retainer which has apertured Walls so that the electrolyte can freely circulate through the body of chemicals which is kept as far as possible from the electrode 14.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the body 1a is formed with a sediment collecting well 15 at its bottom, from which the Sediment can be drawn off through a. valve 16. By opening the valve the sediment can be drawn off without drawing offthe solution during the operation and use of the device. f

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention'appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An electrolytic rectiiier comprisin a container for the electrolyte, a holder disy posed in the container for holding chemicals there being a sediment collecting well in the V bottom of the receptacle, means for drawing off the sediment vfrom the bottom of the well, means in the receptacle for holding chemicals above the well and kin the path of circulation of the' electrolyte, and electrodes in the electrolyte at a point spaced from the chemicals.

CHARLES C. RUPRECHT.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH A. EDMoNDsoN, BETTIE V. HERRING. 

